Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 249 Second Tea

While feeling the swaying of the tram, I gazed blankly at the familiar scenery passing by under the blue sky.

The last time I rode a tram like this, swaying and rocking, seems to have been back in the summer.

Although there was no compelling reason to come, Kitano immediately booked a flight to Tokyo as his work was temporarily completed.

This trip was for a meeting regarding Meguro Sakuya's next move.

Although the goal can be achieved through remote communication, he still prefers to finalize the next stage of the goal through face-to-face discussions.

In addition to discussions about the event itself, it is equally important to understand the attitudes of the stables and riders.

Of course, doing this nowadays might seem a bit old-fashioned.

The train from Tokyo to Chiba is not crowded, and even during this time when commuters are out and about, you can still find an empty seat.

After yawning several times, a result of the late-night flight, Kitano took his phone out of his pocket.

Those kids got their promotions very smoothly!

The standby screen only displays one line of LINE notifications.

Although it disappears quickly, you can still tell who sent it without having to scroll back to see it again.

After the app was launched from the standby screen, a small red dot appeared next to the contact named "Ogawa Kanna".

Thank you for your hard work.

After being sent, the message quickly changed to a "read" status.

[After all, we're all good kids (laughs)]

Good boy/girl, huh?

I have a feeling that the actual picture might not be like this at all.

Anyway, thank you, Ms. Ogawa.

Kitano typed his reply word by word in the LINE message box.

Isn't this taking it a bit too seriously?

As she checked her read receipts, she replied with a cat smiley face sticker that looked rather malicious.

About halfway through the journey, the tall buildings slowly disappeared, and the blue sky gradually filled the view from the car window when I looked up.

After that, the two talked a lot about the initial taming process.

To be precise, it was Kitano who unilaterally gained knowledge from Kanna Ogawa.

Therefore, when training foals, it is essential to clearly define the boundaries between "starting" and "stopping." Once a foal has obediently responded to a command, the pressure should be immediately relieved so that it understands that this is the correct behavior.

Contrary to her outward appearance, the girl on the other end of the phone often displays a knowledgeable side when discussing topics related to horse racing.

[Of course, this is just theory. I tried it on that idiot Asheng when I was a kid, and unsurprisingly, it didn't work at all~]

Please don't say such terrifying things in a calm tone.

The image of the female horse racing PhD in my mind crumbled with a clattering sound.

"Next stop, Kobayashi Station, Kobayashi Station."

It seems the conversation, which had gradually drifted off-topic, has come to an end.

"So whether it's humans or horses, they are essentially antagonistic animals."

Thinking this, I habitually pressed a certain sticker.

Not long ago, Rachel Ho clamored with Zepp to "make one and see" and uploaded a self-made pattern under the name of Mejiro Ranch.

There are no words with any actual meaning or explanation; it's just a snapshot of Dober's expression while he was dozing off.

Recently, whenever someone speaks in the ranch's group chat, Lavid and Asahi immediately reply with this sticker.

After a while, others, including Kitano, also started using it.

So, out of habit, my finger pressed down after sending the message.

The message immediately became "read," followed by a sticker of a little devil covering his mouth and laughing.

Somewhat embarrassed, he put away his phone, let out a breath, and then quickened his pace to leave the station.

A cool autumn breeze was blowing in our faces.

There was almost no smell of scorched asphalt, and the sunlight no longer stung the skin.

However, it is still about three kilometers from the station to Kobayashi Ranch.

Kitano obediently hailed a taxi.

After another six or seven minutes of swaying in the car, we finally arrived at the meeting place, the Ura Chaya. The pottery studio next door seemed to be receiving tourists from Tokyo, with lively laughter coming from time to time.

"It's a weekday, isn't it?"

Thinking this, I walked along the path toward my house.

"excuse me--"

After saying that, he lifted the curtain at the door.

"Oh dear, it's President Kitano."

The woman wiping the counter smiled, put down the rag, and greeted him.

"Please don't mind if we're too noisy later."

"How could that be? Thanks to President Kitano, our business has actually improved quite a bit."

"Anyway, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

After giving the female general a slight bow, Kitano walked towards the direction of the Arashiyama Division.

"Please have a seat, President Kitano."

The trainer took off his reading glasses and stood up to greet Kitano.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two got straight to the point, even before the food was served.

"If we're talking about a big goal, then it's the Breeders' Cup."

Kitano's tone remained as calm as before.

But both the Wild Mountain Master and the female general not far away unconsciously became solemn.

"I understand. So, what are your thoughts?"

Breeders' Cup Classic, or Fillies Classic?

Regarding this question, no matter how unwilling we are to admit it, the answer has been clear from the very beginning.

Perhaps for Kitano, this is simply his nature.

Even if a bowl of tea that has been brewed twice might still be sweet, he would not want to savor that diminished pleasure.

However, this was not the only reason that prompted him to make that choice.

Advice from the advisory group inspired him to challenge himself in a higher-level competition.

"Let's go to BCC, we'll leave this month."

The tone remained the same flat as at the beginning.

"Even if it's for the sake of early preparation, isn't it a bit too early?"

Not too surprised by the horse owners' decision, Huangshan spoke solemnly after a brief consideration.

"If the goal is BCC, it would be best to run at least one preliminary match in the local area."

Unlike most Japanese horse owners who are eager for results in a short period of time, Kitano has been unusually calm in his preparations for the Breeders' Cup.

"I understand."

The trainer nodded, took out a tablet for taking notes from his briefcase, and then put on his reading glasses clipped to his cuff.

Contacting local stables, choosing preliminary battles, departure times, training programs used in the United States, and even the selection of accompanying horses were all meticulously included in the subsequent discussions between the two.

Of course, plans usually don't keep up with changes.

However, unlike a short-term expedition that can be completed in a snap, in a long-term expedition, unknown risks may arise from various aspects.

Therefore, it is crucial to develop a general framework in advance.

Although they didn't speak, the horse owner and the trainer reached a consensus at a certain moment—

"Do your best within your capabilities."

------------

"【Pay attention to horse movements】

Meguro Sakuya will advance to the Breeders' Cup Classic through the preliminary races.

"To prepare for such a high-level competition, we must be as well-prepared as possible," said Huang Shan.

——《n○tkeiba》

(End of this chapter)